Miles Prower's Wants and Needs
by Child at Heart Forever
Summary: The thing about Tails was, he never really thought twice about the way he lived his life because it was simply normal for him. But one abnormal day, a happenstance meeting causes Tails to slightly rethink his way of doing things...


**So, I was prompted by a friend to write a story about Tails and his balance between being a kid _and_ a kid genius, and...I completely forgot I finished it a few months back, heh heh. Nothing too flashy, but I thought it was interesting enough to post. Enjoy. :3**

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~Miles Prower's Wants and Needs~

For any pre-adolescent child that lived relatively near the boundaries of Station Square, a pocket full of money was an absolute gift. It was a pouch of potential, a gateway to claiming things one pined for without any restraint, and was a bypass around stubborn parents telling them no. The only restriction a wallet of cash contained was the amount of cash itself; the more money you accumulated, the better possibilities.

The best thing about being a child with some extra change on hand was that it could be spent without a care or a moment's thought about responsibility. At such a young age, it was a hard for children to even come by money, let alone use it for practicalities. The waits between gift-giving holidays were long gaps to one with a young mind, and impatience would build up eventually. Truth was, if you were kid and you had money, there was no doubt the funds were going to be poured into the likes of candy, pompous robotic toys, useless shiny objects, and anything to provide quick entertainment.

Unless you were Miles "Tails" Prower.

. . .

Tails was walking down one of the many sidewalks in the city, having flown from Mystic Ruins and not wishing to exert his ability to fly more than necessary. This also gave him time to skim over his shopping list more intently, without having to worry about flying into something at the same time.

However, it didn't stop him from bumping into people.

"Eh heh heh, sorry ma'am…" Tails mumbled, having slammed into the hip of a young woman who was window shopping. She glanced down and gave Tails a disapproving glare, but after witnessing the smile he gave back, she smiled too.

"It's quite all right, dear. A kid like you should just watch where he's going more carefully next time, okay?"

Tails' ears flicked a bit, but the smile remained his prominent trait.

"Of course, ma'am. I apologize again."

He gave her a small wave and marched off again, once again sticking his nose into his shopping list.

"Well, carrying on, where was I?" His cerulean irises scanned the small scrap of paper, trying to decipher his hurried handwriting. "Oh yeah- I was heading to Metal Mart. I've got to use the last of my money to pick up the parts I need to construct a new energy transfer module for the Tornado…"

Tails smiled, stored away the shopping list, and started rushing down the sidewalk. One hand was used to keep his long and stringy bangs from flapping in his face, while his other hand was clutched tightly around the handles of bags filled with the other objects featured on his shopping list.

Most of them contained groceries, with the bulk of them being a variety of produce, a few things to make some delectable pasta on Thursday, and a plethora of things to create a full platter of chili dogs; Tails had a mouth-watering recipe, and it was one of his many personal favorite inventions. Also loitered throughout the bags was a medley of cleaning supplies, trash bags, and a new toaster.

A bland group of things, but very much needed.

Tails was only a few blocks away from his destination when he came across a long line of people, one that reached out onto the sidewalk and almost into the street. The line itself was pouring out of a blue store covered with planets, stars, and cartoony rockets, but the sign in the window told Tails all he needed to know.

It was an advertisement for a new toy on the market, and today was the day it hit shelves.

"Are you here to get the new robot too, kid?"

Tails tore his gaze from the window and toward the sound, which had come from a small dog who was the same age, if not a smidge younger, than Tails himself. Tails blinked and registered the question, but the dog interrupted him before he had a change to form an answer.

"Well, you're standing in line, so I guess you are!"

"Huh?"

Blinking again, Tails had realized he inexplicably ended up at the back of the line, with the dog in front of him wagging his tail with undying excitement.

"Ooh, I can't wait to get my hands on a Robot Rodney!" the puppy squealed again, practically hugging himself in an attempt to contain his joy. "I hope they don't run out before I get up there!"

"Did you say robot?" Tails responded dumbly, suddenly finding himself out of it after meeting with child. The word "robot" was usually associated with certain egg-shaped scientists, and Tails just wanted some clarity.

The dog nodded again, practically dancing around and waving his arms excitedly. Tails just raised an eyebrow. "…what's it do?"

"_Everything_!" the puppy exaggerated, his face bursting into an expression of delight. "It lights up, glows in the dark, it speaks, fires foam missiles, walks by itself, and I heard it's got gravity-defying technology that allows it to fly! They've also rumors that it doesn't even need batteries! It's solar powered!"

"Hmm," Tails stated with an amused smirk, rubbing his free hand under his chin. "I bet if I got my hands on one, I could reverse-engineer it and improve it ten-fold! Yeah, instead of being solar-powered, I bet I can rig it to run on a Chaos Drive! Ooh, and instead of foam missiles, I can make it fire real lasers if I just install an energy condenser into the arm piece-"

"Wow, what an imagination you've got there, buddy!" the dog exclaimed, lowering his ears as he chuckled nervously. Nevertheless, he slapped Tails on the back before extending his hand. "My name's Trooper, but what's yours?"

"My friends call me Tails." Tails accepted Trooper's hand and proceeded to shake it.

"Nice to me you then, Tails!" Trooper replied with a grin, turning around only to move up with the line. Tails found himself taking the same few steps. "So, what color robot are ya going to get? Green, red, yellow, aquamarine, mauve-"

"I…don't think I can get one," Tails stated with quiet hesitance, frowning at his own proposition. "I really have to stick to my shopping list…"

"List? What's a kid like you doing with a shopping list?"

_Kid like you_. There were those words again, and Tails' ears started flicking again. This went unnoticed by Trooper, but Tails elaborated anyway.

"Well, I was running low on food, I'm all out of trash bags, my floor needs a good scrubbing, and I have to change the energy transfer module in my biplane, otherwise if I fly it, the Chaos Energy will become unstable and too much for it to handle and it'll explode-"

Tails caught himself rambling, and only found that he was doing so when Trooper's face became very perplexed, and clearly unable to understand. The two were both at a loss for words, and Tails felt himself flush in embarrassment. But out of all the things Trooper could've asked, Tails certainly wasn't expecting this-

"You…went grocery shopping?"

"Yeah?" Tails found himself answering simply, in stark contrast to the astonished tone in Trooper's own voice. "I have to keep the fridge in my workshop stocked somehow, especially when certain people kick the door open and instantly raid the kitchen. Then there's the amount of trash to pick up afterward, and don't even get me started on how I keep my floors spotless-"

"That sounds really boring," Trooper responded, and to Tails, it sounded remarkably like it would've come from Sonic. "Why don't you just let your mom and dad take care of that stuff?"

"I don't have parents," Tails responded thickly, and it was Trooper's turn to become abashed.

"I-I'm so sorry…but in that case, who takes care of you, then?"

"My older brother," was the instantaneous reply. "But he's not around as often anymore, and it's not his house anyway. If anything, _I'm_ the one taking care of him whenever he stops by."

"Wha…?" Trooper was still madly blushing at his unintended lack of sensitivity, but he couldn't help but be appalled by Tails' lifestyle. "So, let me get this straight…you build biplanes, you have your own house, you do your own shopping, you basically take care of yourself…and you're only ten?"

Tails suddenly felt very cold as his gaze fell onto his red and white shoes. "I'm only eight."

A heavy silence came over the two again, and Tails had no idea what to say next. Trooper had a gloved hand to his shaking head, unable to process Tails' lifestyle.

"…you're the same age as me, man. My mind's blown, dude. Mind. Blown."

"Yeah…" Tails trailed, noticing that they had migrated into the store and were now almost at the front. He prepared to pull himself out of line, but Trooper suddenly gripped his wrist.

"H-Hang on, guy," Trooper stated, keeping Tails rooted in place. The twin-tailed fox could have easily flipped him to the ground and made an escape, but Tails allowed himself to hear the puppy out. "There's gotta be something you do for fun. I mean, you had to be a child once."

"I have fun all the time," Tails defended, his tails going straight, as though he had been threatened. "I fly around in Tornado, I go on adventures, fight some evil on the side-"

Tails became self-conscious and turned around, seeing the faces of many little boys and a few little girls staring back at him, hearing him spew his strange life story. The children were a mix of Mobians and humans, but all of them had one thing in common- they couldn't relate to Tails.

"…where's the last time you actually sat down and played with a toy, huh?" Trooper asked, and the answer was at the very front of Tails' mind.

"I was five." The response was airy, as if it was a resurfaced memory that had been stored away because it was no longer important, but still had so much meaning to it. "I had a single toy that was the only possession to my name, and I played with in endlessly when I was four…but once I started hanging around with So- er, my brother, I didn't need it anymore. It was a sense of security that I no longer needed. So, I played with it one last time, and left it back on Westside Island, along with all the other bad memories of my childhood…"

Trooper took a few moments to let it sink in, and Tails assumed that he had finally conveyed his point to the pup (and he was still finding it hard to believe they were the same age, not that it honestly mattered), but Trooper smiled again and gently put a hand on Tails' shoulder.

"Well, it's probably not my place to intrude or whatever, but you DO know your childhood isn't over yet, right?" He winked, and Tails blinked once again. At this point, it was the only intelligent thing he could do. "You might have your responsibilities or whatever, but you can't let that run you completely."

"_He's right."_

A small, high-pitched voice squeaked in the back of Tails' mind; the voice of a child who had only been around for a little under five years.

"_You might be a big shot genius now, but you are still a kid. You used to love getting your hands on a new toy, a new anything that captured you attention…you were bullied relentlessly for it, but it never stopped you…now that you don't have those problems, why don't you enjoy yourself in peace? I know that's what I would've done!"_

Tails' mouth curled into a smile, just in time for Trooper to reach the counter, plunk his meager life savings in front of the cashier, and asked for a red Robot Rodney. The cashier spun around, removed the toy off the shelf, and placed it into Trooper's possession. Eliciting a shriek, Trooper whirled around and thrust it into Tails' face.

"Look, Tails, I got the last red one!" he exclaimed, hugging it tightly as if it were a lifeline. "…sorry, I hope you weren't planning to get a red one. The cobalt blue one still looks pretty cool though!"

He then paused, a skeptical look on the dog's face.

"That is, if you were planning to get one…"

Tails froze up again, glancing over his shoulder at the anticipating looks of the other children and some impatient parents still lingering in the store. His eyes shifted from the sparkling blue robot silently calling his name to the bag of miscellaneous household items in his hand, starting to feel heavy in his grip.

He really did need that extra component for his new plane model…but he also had just enough for the toy.

Quietly, and with a soft, satisfied smile, Tails took his remaining amount of money and placed it on the counter, asking for a cobalt blue robot.

"Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' about!" cheered Trooper, pumping his fists as the store clerk handed Tails the toy. In an excited rush, Trooper grabbed Tails' wrist and whisked them both out of the store. "I can't wait to get home and play with this thing!"

"I can't believe I just bought one…" Tails trailed, staring at his new toy. It smiled back at him with a plastic grin and unblinking eyes.

"Hey, Tails!" Trooper called, starting to make his way down the sidewalk. "We should meet up some time and hang out! You can show me all the "modifications" you make to your robot!"

Tails caught the jest in his voice and sought out to correct him. "But I really_ can_ modify-"

"Well, anyway, See ya around. Tell this older brother of yours I said 'hi'!"

"…no problem!" Tails replied brightly, letting the previous statement go for the time being. "See ya later! Next time we meet, maybe I'll introduce you to Sonic!"

With that, Tails pushed off the sidewalk with a hop, beginning to spin his tails around and soar into the air. Trooper, meanwhile, had stopped at the mention of the name 'Sonic' -the name that matched that of the world renowned hero- and turned around to ask Tails about it, but was far more taken aback by the fact that the fox had just started flying down the street, thanks to the two tails he was honestly blessed to have.

. . .

Tails returned home, feeling unusually happier than he was when he had left. Almost instantly after stepping foot into the door, he meticulously started putting all the things he'd accumulated on his shopping trip away, thinking about his new friend Trooper and how different their lifestyles were. The puppy was almost free of responsibility completely, becoming gleeful at the prospect of a new toy. It was a childlike wonder and prospect that Tails hadn't really experienced in a long time, but that certainly didn't mean it was no longer there.

Besides, it was important to get in as much kid time as he could, before it was too late.

…not that age had ever stopped_ Sonic_, the fox added quickly in his mind.

Therefore, Tails grabbed his brand sparkling new Robot Rodney toy and dashed down into his workshop, planning on taking the robot apart bit by bit and reconstructing it to make it even better…

…but there was nothing wrong with playing with it for a little while first.


End file.
